{
  "id": 11795975,
  "title": "On World Teachers' Day, two veteran educators reflect on a lifetime of teaching",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/03/on-world-teachers-day-two-veteran-educators-reflect-on-a-lifetime-of",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-03T23:45:52.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/lifestyle/sunday-vibes/2026/10/1547110/world-teachers-day-two-veteran-educators-reflect-lifetime"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On World Teachers' Day, two seasoned educators share insights from their lifelong careers. Theresa Loh Kam Toh, now 84, initially sought a nursing career, finding teaching only in retrospect. When approached to assist at a primary school, she embarked on a decades-long teaching journey. Repiah Singah, by contrast, pursued teaching from early on, spending three decades educating students and future teachers in Malaysia. While their paths diverged, both women came to realize teaching went beyond academic achievement. Loh observed a shift toward holistic education over time, emphasizing character development alongside academic success. Repiah maintained constant goals: educating, guiding, and shaping students' character. Despite challenging demands and sacrifices, both agreed the true measure of a teacher's work lay in the impact on students, sometimes requiring empathy and understanding beyond discipline.",
  "summary": "IN the soft hush of memory, where chalk dust once lingered in the morning light and rows of young faces waited with anticipation, two women look back on lives spent in classrooms — lives neither of them could have fully imagined at the beginning.",
  "key_points": [
    "Theresa Loh Kam Toh, 84, initially sought nursing career, later became teacher",
    "Repiah Singah pursued teaching from early age, taught for three decades in Malaysia",
    "Both educators emphasize teaching impact beyond academics, focus on character development"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The reflections of these two veteran educators highlight a broader understanding of teaching as a profession that prioritizes not just academic achievement but also character development and personal impact on students.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}